


"I Don't Regret It One Bit"

by TheHerondalesAreBicons



Category: The Last Hours Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, Lucie Herondale is a Little shit, THE GRACELET, The Beautiful Cordelia, james herondale is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25179421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHerondalesAreBicons/pseuds/TheHerondalesAreBicons
Summary: James gets the Gracelet cut off of him -finally- but what faces him now is a much harder obstacle to overcome.Confessing his love to Cordelia.This is plain stupidity, alright. I swear it's much dumber than the title sounds.
Relationships: Alastair Carstairs & Cordelia Carstairs, Cordelia Carstairs & James Herondale, Cordelia Carstairs/James Herondale, James Herondale & Lucie Herondale
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, I could've ended it at multiple points in the story, so there are like 2 chapters. They're the same stories, but chapter 1 is shorter and Rated G, but chapter 2 is longer and Rated T.

Cordelia swung Cortana in a wide arc, beheading the demon that had previously been pinning James to the floor. Unfortunately, that one strike was all it took to sap the remaining energy out of Cordelia, and she swayed dangerously on her feet. James sprung up and just barely succeeded in catching her as she fell. 

Panic flared through him as he noticed a wide gash in Cordelia's side, soaking through her gear. It was a miracle she had been able to stand for long enough to save him from the demon.

"Layla!" Alastair cried. In less than a second, Cordelia's older brother was by her side, and James handed her off to him gratefully, since he was near dropping dead himself. 

Something inside him ached as he watched Alastair carry Cordelia away. He wanted to be the one who held Cordelia. He wanted to be the first one Cordelia saw when she woke up. He wanted to belong to Cordelia, if that was possible. He wasn't entirely sure if there was some sort of paper one had to sign in order to have full custody over someone. Perhaps that was the purpose of adoption papers.

Anyway, James felt so much love for Cordelia, his Daisy, that he was sure his body would implode with the force of his undying love. Was that normal? To love someone so much, you felt that if the world were to end, everything would be alright, as long as you and that someone were together. 

James shook his head and scowled at the demon ichor that stuck to his gear, as if it was the cause of his feelings. Luckily, he had taken extra precautions (courtesy of his mother) and put on gloves, so his hands hadn't been burnt by the ichor. 

He did a quick survey of the area when a glint of metal caught his eye, very nearly blinding him (an exaggeration- but he spent so much time around Matthew some of that dramaticness was bound to rub off on him, anyway). James peered closer at the thing and nudged it with his foot. It appeared to be a bracelet. Chopped unevenly in half. He didn't know who thought that it would be a good idea to break a bracelet -something that was meant to be worn- in half, but he hoped the person was okay, since if you had decided to break something that was meant to be worn, you were probably insane. 

Now that he thought about it, it looked rather like the silver bracelet Grace Blackthorn had gifted him a while back, except for the fact that his bracelet was intact and very much still on his wrist-

'Oh' he thought as he looked down at his right wrist, which, contrary to his words, did not have a bracelet on it. 'Oh' his brain repeated. 

Well. This certainly changed things. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"James, you're in love with Cordelia." Lucie said.

James choked on his tea and spat it out. "Excuse me?" That was a preposterous notion. He wasn't in love. He just loved Cordelia. There was a difference. Love meant having an affection for something or someone. Being in love meant wanting to be with someone all the time, and feeling as if a part of you was missing when they weren't there, which was…. exactly how he felt about Daisy.

Hmph. He didn't think that was fair at all. 

"I'm leaving to go write the next few chapters of The Beautiful Cordelia." Lucie said, getting up. "Go see her, James. Declare your love. Serenade her with your horrible singing voice. Seduce her with your measly flirting skills. I don't care, just make your love known. You owe it to her."

James groaned. By the Angel, he hated it when Lucie was right about something, even more so when he found himself agreeing with her… Which happened to be a lot of the time, but it wasn't his fault that Lucie had gotten their mother's clever genes, and he had been stuck with his father's love-only-once complex.

But, despite everything, he went to go see Cordelia. 

Because he was in love, and apparently being in love made him do things he would surely regret.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Lucie found James again pacing outside the guest room in the London Institute, where Cordelia was currently staying, questioning his life decisions and how in the world they had led to him falling so madly in love.

"You, James Herondale," Lucie said, with far more disdain that James had liked, "Are an idiot, and a coward, but since I love you, I shall give you encouragement in the form of merciless insults."

"Way to boost my self-esteem, Luce." James mutteredm rolling his eyes,

"Jamie. Get in there, and confess, otherwise I shall keep taunting you about this until we're very, dreadfully old, and even when we die, my ghost will come back to haunt yours. And here," Lucie shoved a few papers into his arms. "Read her the next few chapters of The Beautiful Cordelia. It's very romantic." 

James flipped through the pages. There seemed to be too many for just 'a few' chapters. He blanched as he scan-read the words and found a passage dedicated to the explicit description of what Cordelia would do with James after winning him over from the dark side. 

This was enough to convince him to go in, because he feared if he dawdled any longer, his curiosity would get the best of him and he'd be subjected to more of the 'romantic' chapters.

He twisted the brass door handle and stepped inside. Cordelia was propped up on the pillows. Most of her colour had returned, though she still looked a bit pale. Her hair had been hastily swept into a ponytail just barely held in place by a pin. 

"Daisy." he greeted, cursing Cordelia's ability to lool beautiful, even when hospitalized.

"Jamie." Cordelia said, smiling faintly. James heart stuttered. "I thought you'd visit sooner."

"Yes, well, Lucie has been busy terrorizing me. By verbally abusing me, and making me read her book." 

This startled a laugh out of Cordelia. "How are you, James?" she asked, her expression suddenly turning serious. James sensed there was something else she'd like to say, and he could've been imagining it, but he thought he saw Cordelia's eyes flicker to his wrist, where the bracelet had once been.

"I'm fine. I should be the one asking you, since you were the one who collapsed." 

"I'm recovering. The cut wasn't too deep." 

James nodded and sat down gingerly on the side of the bed, suddenly feeling hyper aware of the mere inches that separated him and Cordelia. Then, by a burst of bravery, he closed the gap by reaching out to take her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away. He rubbed circles on her inner palm, gazing at her with a new kind of intensity. Cordelia stared back with equal earnesty.

"The bracelet." he blurted, then blushed, which was ridiculous, because Herondale's didn't blush… Unless they were utterly whipped for a certain someone. 

"Yes." Cordelia breathed, attempting to get up and swatting away James's hand when he reached out to help. He had forgotten how independant Cordelia was, but now that he had been reminded, he was sure he loved her even more.

"Grace, she- she gave me it, and…" he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Controlled you." Cordelia finished. God, she was smart.

"I- you… you know. How?"

"I'm more clever than you think, Jamie." she replied. "But it's off now, isn't it? When I killed that demon… I also-"

"Cut off the bracelet, yes," James cleared his throat. "The bracelet, like you said, controlled my emotions. It made me believe that I was in love with Grace."

"And are you?" Cordelia looked extremely anxious for his response, and he desperately wanted to give the correct one.

"No, no, Daisy, I am not. I am- I'm in… it's you. It's always been you, Daisy, ever since the moment we met." James admitted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know it might take time for you to reciprocate my feelings, but-"

"Kiss me, Jamie, you oblivious idiot. I'm in love with you, too." Cordelia said. James was caught off guard by her choice of words for a second, too much in shock to really move his body. So Cordelia was left with no choice but to take the wheel, and she grabbed Jamie by the collar of his shirt, their mouths colliding.

Fireworks went off in his brain, reducing it to mush, rendering it useless to repeat one word over and over again. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Yet somehow, that one word held infinite meanings. 

Once again, James was overly conscious of Cordelia's lithe frame pressed up against his, their tongues clashing, his hands caressing Cordelia's hair, which had fallen out if its ponytail. But this time it was a pleasant sort of awareness, because at least it felt right. He and Daisy were meant to be like this: together, for all of eternity. 

And he couldn't be more content.


	2. Longer Version (wow I'm so creative)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes hello this is the longer part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the title says it all

Cordelia swung Cortana in a wide arc, beheading the demon that had previously been pinning James to the floor. Unfortunately, that one strike was all it took to sap the remaining energy out of Cordelia, and she swayed dangerously on her feet. James sprung up and just barely succeeded in catching her as she fell. 

Panic flared through him as he noticed a wide gash in Cordelia's side, soaking through her gear. It was a miracle she had been able to stand for long enough to save him from the demon.

"Layla!" Alastair cried. In less than a second, Cordelia's older brother was by her side, and James handed her off to him gratefully, since he was near dropping dead himself. 

Something inside him ached as he watched Alastair carry Cordelia away. He wanted to be the one who held Cordelia. He wanted to be the first one Cordelia saw when she woke up. He wanted to belong to Cordelia, if that was possible. He wasn't entirely sure if there was some sort of paper one had to sign in order to have full custody over someone. Perhaps that was the purpose of adoption papers.

Anyway, James felt so much love for Cordelia, his Daisy, that he was sure his body would implode with the force of his undying love. Was that normal? To love someone so much, you felt that if the world were to end, everything would be alright, as long as you and that someone were together. 

James shook his head and scowled at the demon ichor that stuck to his gear, as if it was the cause of his feelings. Luckily, he had taken extra precautions (courtesy of his mother) and put on gloves, so his hands hadn't been burnt by the ichor. 

He did a quick survey of the area when a glint of metal caught his eye, very nearly blinding him (an exaggeration- but he spent so much time around Matthew some of that dramaticness was bound to rub off on him, anyway). James peered closer at the thing and nudged it with his foot. It appeared to be a bracelet. Chopped unevenly in half. He didn't know who thought that it would be a good idea to break a bracelet -something that was meant to be worn- in half, but he hoped the person was okay, since if you had decided to break something that was meant to be worn, you were probably insane. 

Now that he thought about it, it looked rather like the silver bracelet Grace Blackthorn had gifted him a while back, except for the fact that his bracelet was intact and very much still on his wrist-

'Oh' he thought as he looked down at his right wrist, which, contrary to his words, did not have a bracelet on it. 'Oh' his brain repeated. 

Well. This certainly changed things. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"James, you're in love with Cordelia." Lucie said.

James choked on his tea and spat it out. "Excuse me?" That was a preposterous notion. He wasn't in love. He just loved Cordelia. There was a difference. Love meant having an affection for something or someone. Being in love meant wanting to be with someone all the time, and feeling as if a part of you was missing when they weren't there, which was…. exactly how he felt about Daisy.

Hmph. He didn't think that was fair at all. 

"I'm leaving to go write the next few chapters of The Beautiful Cordelia." Lucie said, getting up. "Go see her, James. Declare your love. Serenade her with your horrible singing voice. Seduce her with your measly flirting skills. I don't care, just make your love known. You owe it to her."

James groaned. By the Angel, he hated it when Lucie was right about something, even more so when he found himself agreeing with her… Which happened to be a lot of the time, but it wasn't his fault that Lucie had gotten their mother's clever genes, and he had been stuck with his father's love-only-once complex.

But, despite everything, he went to go see Cordelia. 

Because he was in love, and apparently being in love made him do things he would surely regret.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Lucie found James again pacing outside the guest room in the London Institute, where Cordelia was currently staying, questioning his life decisions and how in the world they had led to him falling so madly in love.

"You, James Herondale," Lucie said, with far more disdain that James had liked, "Are an idiot, and a coward, but since I love you, I shall give you encouragement in the form of merciless insults."

"Way to boost my self-esteem, Luce." James mutteredm rolling his eyes,

"Jamie. Get in there, and confess, otherwise I shall keep taunting you about this until we're very, dreadfully old, and even when we die, my ghost will come back to haunt yours. And here," Lucie shoved a few papers into his arms. "Read her the next few chapters of The Beautiful Cordelia. It's very romantic." 

James flipped through the pages. There seemed to be too many for just 'a few' chapters. He blanched as he scan-read the words and found a passage dedicated to the explicit description of what Cordelia would do with James after winning him over from the dark side. 

This was enough to convince him to go in, because he feared if he dawdled any longer, his curiosity would get the best of him and he'd be subjected to more of the 'romantic' chapters.

He twisted the brass door handle and stepped inside. Cordelia was propped up on the pillows. Most of her colour had returned, though she still looked a bit pale. Her hair had been hastily swept into a ponytail just barely held in place by a pin. 

"Daisy." he greeted, cursing Cordelia's ability to lool beautiful, even when hospitalized.

"Jamie." Cordelia said, smiling faintly. James heart stuttered. "I thought you'd visit sooner."

"Yes, well, Lucie has been busy terrorizing me. By verbally abusing me, and making me read her book." 

This startled a laugh out of Cordelia. "How are you, James?" she asked, her expression suddenly turning serious. James sensed there was something else she'd like to say, and he could've been imagining it, but he thought he saw Cordelia's eyes flicker to his wrist, where the bracelet had once been.

"I'm fine. I should be the one asking you, since you were the one who collapsed." 

"I'm recovering. The cut wasn't too deep." 

James nodded and sat down gingerly on the side of the bed, suddenly feeling hyper aware of the mere inches that separated him and Cordelia. Then, by a burst of bravery, he closed the gap by reaching out to take her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away. He rubbed circles on her inner palm, gazing at her with a new kind of intensity. Cordelia stared back with equal earnesty.

"The bracelet." he blurted, then blushed, which was ridiculous, because Herondale's didn't blush… Unless they were utterly whipped for a certain someone. 

"Yes." Cordelia breathed, attempting to get up and swatting away James's hand when he reached out to help. He had forgotten how independant Cordelia was, but now that he had been reminded, he was sure he loved her even more.

"Grace, she- she gave me it, and…" he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Controlled you." Cordelia finished. God, she was smart.

"I- you… you know. How?"

"I'm more clever than you think, Jamie." she replied. "But it's off now, isn't it? When I killed that demon… I also-"

"Cut off the bracelet, yes," James cleared his throat. "The bracelet, like you said, controlled my emotions. It made me believe that I was in love with Grace."

"And are you?" Cordelia looked extremely anxious for his response, and he desperately wanted to give the correct one.

"No, no, Daisy, I am not. I am- I'm in… it's you. It's always been you, Daisy, ever since the moment we met." James admitted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know it might take time for you to reciprocate my feelings, but-"

"Kiss me, Jamie, you oblivious idiot. I'm in love with you, too." Cordelia said. James was caught off guard by her choice of words for a second, too much in shock to really move his body. So Cordelia was left with no choice but to take the wheel, and she grabbed Jamie by the collar of his shirt, their mouths colliding.

Fireworks went off in his brain, reducing it to mush, rendering it useless to repeat one word over and over again. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Yet somehow, that one word held infinite meanings. 

Once again, James was overly conscious of Cordelia's lithe frame pressed up against his, their tongues clashing, his hands caressing Cordelia's hair, which had fallen out if its ponytail. But this time it was a pleasant sort of awareness, because at least it felt right. He and Daisy were meant to be like this: together, for all of eternity. 

And he couldn't be more content. 

They pulled apart finally, both of them panting. Daisy touched a finger to her lips and laughed softly. James leaned his forehead on Cordelia's. They looked at each other from beneath their eyelashes, similar expressions of disbelief and ecstasy on their faces.

"I guess that just happened." James said finally.

"Yes, I guess it did," Cordelia replied. "I don't regret it." she added.

"Neither do I." James took her hand and kissed her fingertips gently. "I don't regret it one bit."

Cordelia giggled and butterflies went off in James's stomach.

"Well, I don't suppose you'd like to read The Beautiful Cordelia? I think Lucie will be disappointed if she finds out I haven't read it to you."

"Of course. I'm supposed to be resting, anyway. No over-exerting myself."

"Yes, because we've definitely been abiding by those rules, have we?" James teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Shh, just read, Jamie," Daisy hushed, cuddling into James's side.

James cleared his throat. "Cordelia pushed James against the wall, grinning wickedly, hands travelling southward toward his-"

He was interrupted as Cordelia threw a pillow at his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to be funny.  
> Then I failed.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated :))) also is following my Tumblr: @herondale-anxiety, but at the same time idk if I want people to be seeing my dumbass posts.


End file.
